


Sleepless

by eyerite



Series: Snapetober 2020 [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Insomnia, Snapetober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26782597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyerite/pseuds/eyerite
Summary: Out of all the reasons to lie awake, this one was the most inane.
Series: Snapetober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952878
Kudos: 5





	Sleepless

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!  
> A little disclaimer here: I haven't written anything in literal years. I came across the Snapetober 2020 prompts list sxvxrxssnape on tumblr created, and something about it inspired me, I guess.
> 
> I have never participated in anything like this before, and I have no idea what the rules/expectations are, but this is my take on the first prompt. I might just do this one, i might do them all. We'll see.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

He tucked the thick covers underneath his icy feet for the umpteenth time that night, huffing with displeasure as the blankets were tugged away from his neck and shoulders. 

The dungeons were always chilly - especially during the rainy autumn months - but it always seemed worse when he couldn’t seem to fall asleep, and every bit of chill that seeped into his bones seemed to linger far longer than it had any right to.

Severus groaned as he turned onto his other side, once again dislodging the warm blankets from under his feet. 

Of all the things that sometimes kept him awake, this current one was by far the most inane, yet it was also the one most difficult to solve. He’d much rather deal with nightmares or the aches and pains left over from years of mental and physical stress. But just having his brain refuse to wind down to sleep seemed idiotic; he was a skilled Occlumens, for Merlin’s sake, he should have no trouble quieting his mind enough to fall asleep.

And yet.

He sighed as he turned onto his back, staring into the darkness above him. He thought about the plans he’d had for the next day; breakfast in his quarters with one interesting article or another, then a bit of brewing, perhaps a walk across the grounds… He’d been looking forward to it all week; finally a day without real obligations. 

Without sleep he’d be able to get through breakfast and maybe, if he was lucky, the brewing. After that, the exhaustion would set in and he’d be forced to retreat back to his quarters and either push through until an appropriate bedtime or fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night. 

Neither sounded appealing.

Morning was still hours away at this point. If he could just fall asleep right now, he’d still get a reasonable amount of rest, and he’d still be able to go about his day as planned. If he could just trick his brain into falling asleep…

It was futile.

He pushed away the covers and slipped out of bed, curling up his toes as his feet hit the cold stone. He dressed quickly and left his quarters, navigating the hallways up to the Astronomy Tower.

He stood there, watching the stars and the tiniest sickle of the moon slowly shift through the charcoal sky. 

Soon, the horizon would begin lightening and the first signs of dawn would appear. For now, however, darkness still reigned, and Severus still had enough time to sleep. The night seemed to place endless possibilities before him. None of them certain - some as unlikely as Merlin himself rising from the dead, others seemingly set in stone - until he made the decision.

All he had to do was choose.

The second time around, sleep found him quickly.


End file.
